I have a confession to make: I am in a committed relationship with books. They’re always there for me, they understand me, and they teach me important life lessons in ways I can easily comprehend. Some books have completely changed my life: Captain Underpants, for example, was an eye-opener for me. Did you know, however, that, Captain Underpants is one of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2013, because parents believe that the main character teaches their children to rebel against authority and uses offensive language. Really?
It’s views like this that make clear the need for Banned Books Week. According to the American Library Association, Banned Books Week is a celebration of the access to information and the freedom to read held during the last week of September in most high schools, libraries and universities around the nation (Kenyon celebrated the event just last week)
The list of banned books that the association encourages readers to pick out is not restricted to one genre, pulling from Pulitzer Prize winning books, young adult books, and even trashy romance novels. Some of my favorite books made the cut for the 2013 Banned Book List, along with some books that did not surprise me in the slightest.
To give you a taste of what America considers its most shocking reads, here is snapshot of a few books that made it on to the banned book lists of 2012 and 2013:
1. Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a story about what it’s like to journey through that strange, uncharted territory of high school. Throughout the book the main character confronts the world of first dates, family dramas, new friends. sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Why it’s banned—deals with drugs, homosexuality, abuse, alcohol, and sex
2. Looking for Alaska by John Green
Fascinated by the last words of famous people, Miles “Pudge” Halter leaves his boring life for boarding school to seek what a dying Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps.” Pudge becomes encircled by friends whose lives are everything but safe and boring and falls in love with Alaska, the group’s razor-sharp, sexy, and self-destructive ring leader who has perfected the art of evading school rules. When tragedy strikes the close-knit group, Pudge discovers the value of living and loving unconditionally.
Why it’s banned—inappropriate language
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3. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
When Anastasia Steele, an unworldly literature student, goes to interview young, beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating entrepreneur Christian Grey, she finds herself desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.
Why it’s banned—inappropriate language, sex, and is semi-pornographic content
4. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson“Speak up for yourself—we want to know what you have to say.” From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows that speaking up for yourself will not be part of her high school experience. She has gained an outcast status by calling the cops on an end-of-summer party; now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face her darkest fears and secrets. Laurie Halse Anderson’s powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself.
Why it’s banned—glorifies drinking, cursing, and premarital sex, semi-pornographic content
5. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
This is one of the world’s great anti-war books, focusing on the infamous firebombing of Dresden. Billy Pilgrim’s odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we are afraid to know.
Why it’s banned—glorifies drinking, cursing, premarital sex
Books can transport us to incredible places, helping us understand how people feel and think in ways that nothing else can. Does it really matter if some of the best books feature the occasional “F-bomb” or lewd reference? Most people who read The Catcher in the Rye will not remember Holden Caulfield using curse words, but the story of a troubled adolescent poorly coping with the death of his brother. Honestly, I had to Google whether The Catcher in the Rye had curse words in it before I finished writing this piece.
It’s important for people to read the stories and hardships that the characters in books like Perks of Being a Wallflower experience. One of the most important life lessons I will ever learn: “We accept the love we think we deserve” came from this book, and it saddens me that some people will never have the chance to read it.
[Source: All overviews of the books were found at barnesandnoble.com]
[Photo Sources: Country Bookshelf.com, Sueannjafarian.com, Wikipedia]